Details of some birds you might expect to see throughout the year and some rarities which have turned up in the past can be found within the habitats page of this site.


The birds recorded below include records of sightings and also of birds which have been caught and recorded as part of the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) Ringing Programme.

2nd September: A few more migrants on or over Brean Down included 21 Wheatear, 4 Tree Pipit, 4 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 3 Spotted Flycatcher, 2 Goldcrest, 1 Grasshopper Warbler and a scatter of common warblers. There was a single Spotted Redshank at the Brue estuary whilst waders at Berrow included 380 Oystercatcher, 31 Curlew, 126 Knot, 22 Ringed Plover, 5 Dunlin and 320 Sanderling.

1st September: Migrants on Brean Down included singles of Redstart and Grasshopper Warbler together with 40 Blackcap and 15 Chiffchaff. Also noted were 7 Tree Pipit, 7 Wheatear, 4 Yellow Wagtail and a Grey Wagtail. A single Swift was seen amongst large numbers of Hirundines at Berrow LNR

August:

31st August: Just 870 Redshank and 371 Turnstone at the Brue estuary to report together with a couple of flyover Yellow Wagtail.

30th August: More variety today with the Brue estuary producing singles of Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper, and 3 Common Sandpiper whilst 2 Curlew Sandpiper were on Stert island. Amongst the usual waders at Berrow were 3 Redshank and a Golden Plover whilst Knot had increased to 89. Migrants were more in evidence today with at least 7 Yellow Wagtail, 4 Grey Wagtail, 4 Wheatear and plenty of Hirundines . 2 Grasshopper Warbler were trapped at Berrow. Finally, a total of 4 Mediterranean Gull were noted along the coastal stretch.

29th August: Little change at Berrow.

28th August: Singles of Curlew Sandpiper and Little Stint were welcome additions to the usual spread of waders at Berrow.

27th August: Berrow again provided all the wader news with 56 Oystercatcher, 1 Turnstone, 2 Whimbrel, 15 Knot, 250 Ringed Plover, 300 Sanderling and 80 Dunlin.

26th August: Ringed Plover and Dunlin had increased to 245 and 97 respectively at Berrow where there were also 2 Turnstone.

25th August: The usual array of waders at Berrow that included 1 Curlew, 54 Oystercatcher, 4 Whimbrel, 1 Knot, 51 Ringed Plover, 280 Sanderling and 15 Dunlin.

24th August: No new waders to report at Berrow where numbers appeared to be down from yesterday. 2 Wheatear were there.

23rd August: Berrow produced 5 Teal, 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 40 Common Gull and a variety of waders that included 306 Oystercatcher, 3 Whimbrel, 1 Turnstone, 129 Ringed Plover, 1 Knot and 250 Sanderling.

22nd August: A quick count at the Brue Estuary was disappointing, producing only 964 Redshank, 241 Turnstone and  a Common Sandpiper. Berrow wasn't much better with 94 Oystercatcher, 18 Ringed Plover, 80 Dunlin, 32 Sanderling, 1 Whimbrel, 3 Curlew, 27 Common Gull and a flock of 20 Linnet.

21st August: All today's news was again from Berrow where a Yellow Wagtail, 30 Swallow, 30 House Martin and a Tree Pipit flew south. There was a sprinkling of warblers around the edge of the reedbed, 12 Sedge Warbler, 7 Reed Warbler, 3 Blackcap, 2 Whitethroat, 7 Chiffchaff and a Lesser Whitethroat. Also a Jersey Tiger was seen flying around the reedbed.

17th August: At Berrow there was a 1st winter Mediterranean Gull today and a Greenshank spent a couple of hours flying up and down the beach. Singles of Yellow Wagtail and Tree Pipit flew south.

16th August: A pleasantly sunny day with a stiff westerly wind. On Brean Down there were 30 Willow Warbler, 12 Whitethroat, 2 Blackcap, 1 Stock Dove, 1 Tree Pipit, 55 Swallow, 12 House Martin and as far as we know the first Long-winged Conehead recorded on the down. At Berrow today there were 149 Oystercatcher, 6 Ringed Plover, 25 Dunlin, 56 Curlew, 52 Sanderling, 1 Redshank, 1 Knot, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 32 Common Gull and 3 adult Mediterranean Gull. Totals from the Brue, 800 Redshank, 5 Dunlin, 120 Turnstone and 1 Common Sandpiper.

Mediterranean Gull, Berrow, 16th August 2010. © A. Slade



Brown Argus, Berrow, 16th August. © A. Slade

15th August: A very similar selection of birds to yesterday on the Brue Estuary, the exception being  8 Black-tailed Godwit.

14th August: On the Brue Estuary this morning there was 1000 Redshank, 145 Turnstone 25 Knot, 2 Dunlin, 1 Black-tailed Godwit and a Common Sandpiper.

13th August: All today's sightings came from Berrow, where there were 138 Oystercatcher, 116 Sanderling (two were colour ringed), 1 Knot, 18 Curlew and 2 adult Mediterranean Gull roosted at high tide on the playing fields.

11th August: Brean Down was quiet with just 2 Wheatear and a single Whinchat. High tide at Berrow produced 7 Oystercatcher, 17 Ringed Plover, 10 Dunlin and 92 Sanderling. Common Gull increased to 36.

10th August: Waders at Berrow included 44 Ringed Plover, 80 Dunlin and 300 Sanderling. Common Gull there numbered 17.

9th August: The Brue estuary held 310 Redshank, 115 Turnstone and 2 Black Tailed Godwit whilst 94 Oystercatcher were in the Parrett. Another new moth for the patch last night at Berrow was Lesser-spotted Pinion.

8th August: A few migrants at Brean Down included single Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail and Tree Pipit whilst there were also around 40 Willow Warbler. Berrow was uninspiring with just 170 Oystercatcher and 23 Curlew. A new moth for the patch, an out of season and out of range Epiblema scutalana at Berrow .

5th August: High tide at Berrow produced 260 Oystercatcher and 300+ Sanderling. Gulls were represented by 3 adult Mediterranean Gull and 31 Common Gull.

4th August: No news.

3rd August: A Greenshank and a Green Sandpiper were both good records for Berrow where there were also 18 Curlew and 3 Willow Warbler

2nd August: No news today.

1st August: 3 adult Mediterranean Gull were on the beach at Berrow together with 27 Common Gull, 145 Oystercatcher, 48 Curlew and 5 Sanderling.

July:

31st July: Little to report with just 203 Oystercatcher, and very small numbers of the usual waders at Berrow today.

30th July: A little more variety at Berrow with 3 Common Scoter and 2 Sandwich Tern being the highlight. The adult Yellow Legged Gull was again on the beach, together with 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 220 Oystercatcher, 39 Curlew, 14 Whimbrel, 30 Ringed Plover and 13 Dunlin.

29th July: Highlight was an adult Yellow Legged Gull on Berrow beach. Also at Berrow were an adult Mediterranean Gull, and 27 Common Gull. Plumage variations have shown there to be at least 4 different adult Mediterranean Gull present at Berrow over the past week.

28th July: An increase in Redshank to 800 on the Brue estuary together with 51 Turnstone and 160 Oystercatcher. Berrow held 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 16 Common Gull and 300 Sanderling.

27th July: Very similar species and numbers on Berrow beach as yesterday. A new moth for the patch at Berrow was Pempelia Formosa

26th July: 2 Adult Mediterranean Gull were on the playing fields together with 400+ Black Headed Gull and 18 Common Gull. Waders on Berrow beach were represented by 157 Oystercatcher, 2 Whimbrel, 220 Sanderling and 1 Ringed Plover.

25th July: Overnight trapping at Burnham produced another Fen Wainscot, 16 Silver Y, 11 Diamond-back Moth and a Rush Veneer.

24th July: A bit more about today with Berrow producing a good count of 181 Oystercatcher. Also there were 13 Curlew, 1 Whimbrel and 5 Sanderling. A ringed adult Mediterranean Gull is probably the returning individual but we couldn't read the number. The Brue esturay held 350 Redshank, 7 Turnstone and a Yellow Wagtail. Hummingbird Hawk-moth are now being seen almost daily in very small numbers.

23rd July: Moth trapping at Berrow produced 18 Silver Y

22nd July: No news today

21st July: One of the adult Mediterranean Gull was on Berrow beach together with 3 Common Gull. Waders were represented by 80 Sanderling and 8 Dunlin.

20th July: Just a single Hummingbird Hawk-moth to report from Berrow today.

19th July: Still pretty quiet with 1 adult Mediterranean Gull, 11 Common Gull, 110 Oystercatcher and 60 Sanderling at Berrow. Overnight moth trapping produced 1 Four Spotted Footman, 6 Rush Veneer and 4 Silver Y whilst a Hummingbird Hawk-moth was visiting a Burnham garden today.

18th July: Very quiet on the bird front with just 3 Grey Heron south at Berrow together with 17 Curlew and 10 Oystercatcher on the beach there. Swift continue to move south steadily. We recently bagged a horse chestnut mine infested leaf and subsequently hatched 20+ Horse Chestnut Leaf Miner from the one leaf.

17th July: 2 Sandwich Tern on Berrow beach were the highlight. Sanderling had increased to 65 and were joined by 5 Dunlin and a Whimbrel.

16th July: Red road playing fields held 2 adult Mediterranean Gull, 450 Black Headed Gull and 7 Common Gull. Waders on Berrow beach were represented by 53 Oystercatcher, 11 Curlew, 9 Sanderling and 3 Dunlin.

15th July: There were 3 adult Mediterranean Gull on Red road playing fields at Berrow together with 6 Common Gull and around 400 Black Headed Gull. Rarity of the day falls to a presumed escaped/released Eastern Festoon butterfly that was in the local comprehensive school car park.

14th July: The summer plumaged Spotted Redshank reappeared on the Brue estuary where there were also 450 Redshank, 2 Turnstone and 2 Common Sandpiper. The adjacent Parrett estuary held 112 Oystercatcher. 50 Sand Martin gathered at Brean were presumed migrants.

13th July: 2 Common Sandpiper on Berrow golf course reservoir were new, otherwise little change at Berrow with the same 2 Mediterranean Gull, 6 Common Gull, 480 Black Headed Gull, 2 Whimbrel and 9 Dunlin. In the evening a steady passage of Swift were heading south.

12th July: Wader numbers continue to edge up with 4 Whimbrel, 4 Sanderling and 19 Dunlin at Berrow and 4 Common Sandpiper, 9 Dunlin, a Turnstone and still well in excess of 200 Redshank at the Brue estuary. 2 Mediterranean Gull on Berrow beach included an adult and a first summer.

11th July: The highlight was 4 Common Scoter that flew south at Berrow. Also there were single adult Mediterranean Gull and Whimbrel. Nearby on the Brue estuary Redshank numbers had increased to 309. There were also 2 Turnstone. A Hobby was present at Brean Down. A new moth for the patch overnight was a Fen Wainscot at Berrow.

10th July: No news today, although we did receive this interesting photo of a Grass Snake enjoying its lunch at Berrow.

9th July: The 2 Common Sandpiper were still on the Brue estuary with good numbers of Redshank. 60 Swift there were possibly on the move. A few Banded Demoiselle have been noted around the Brue/Apex area lately

8th July: The Brue estuary held 265 Redshank and 2 Common Sandpiper whilst 2 Grey Wagtail flew south at Burnham. Also at Burnham an Essex Skipper was seen and perhaps this species is more common here than we suspected.

7th July: 2 Adult Mediterranean Gull were on Berrow beach today together with 43 Oystercatcher.

6th July: A Bonxie over Berrow golf course was somewhat of a surprise this morning. More expected were a Common Sandpiper on the golf course reservoir and an adult Mediterranean Gull on the beach. 5 Sand Martin flew south.

5th July: The Brue estuary held 2 summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, 260 Redshank and 2 Turnstone.

4th July: No news today.

3rd July: No change on the bird front. However, following recent suspicions we are now sure that Essex Skipper is present at Berrow in small numbers.

2nd July: Bird wise it remains dire with Berrow hosting just 80 Oystercatcher and 24 Curlew.

1st July: Just 48 Oystercatcher and 22 Curlew together with 250 Black Headed Gull at Berrow.

June:

30th June: The first look at the Brue estuary for a while produced 94 presumably returning Redshank.

27th June: Still incredibly quiet. Berrow beach held just 110 Black Headed Gull and 22 Mallard. We are seeing an increased number of Grey Heron on or over the beach but remain unsure whether they are migrants stopping off or local wanderers.

26th June: No news today

25th June: No bird news today although on the moth front a single Four-dotted Footman was a nice capture at Burnham

24th June: Berrow produced 52 Oystercatcher, 70 Mallard and 84 Black Headed Gull. A Painted Lady was also present there.

23rd June: Still nothing to report on the bird front. Scarlet Tiger remain plentiful at the nature reserve, whilst 2 'white' Pyramidal Orchid were a nice find on Berrow golf course.

22nd June: No news today

21st June: Another dismal return of 22 Oystercatcher and 28 Black Headed Gull at Berrow.

20th June: 8 Grey Heron and 8 Sand Martin overhead at Berrow with 2 Cuckoo still patrolling the reedbed there.

19th June: With only half a dozen or so previous records it was somewhat of a shock to discover around 100 Scarlet Tiger at Berrow nature reserve this afternoon.  On the bird front things remain extremely quiet, although a Redshank on the golf course reservoir at Berrow was a surprise.as was a Stock Dove at the Brue estuary.

18th June: Despite morning and afternoon watches, nothing to report.

17th June: A single Brown Argus butterfly was the only notable sighting at Berrow today.

15th June: Berrow held 81 Oystercatcher, 3 Curlew, 39 Black Headed Gull and a single Common Gull.

14th June: A few reports today from Berrow included 22 Manx Shearwater, 6 Oystercatcher, 3 Ringed Plover, 21 Sanderling, 3 Dunlin and 49 Black Headed Gull.

13th June: 3 Sandwich Tern on the beach at Berrow were unusual for the time of year.

11th June: Considering the north easterly wind 4 Gannet off Berrow was somewhat surprising. Also there were 58 Mallard and 46 Black Headed Gull.

10th June: This afternoons rising tide at Berrow held 81 Oystercatcher, 51 Mallard and 23 Black Headed Gull, whilst encouragingly there are still 2 or 3 Cuckoo patrolling the reedbed.

9th June: We are still online, there's just been absolutely nothing to report. Today's snippet of news concerns 3 Siskin south at Burnham.

5th June: The 2 Cuckoo were still at Berrow where there were also 80 Oystercatcher over high tide.

4th June: 2 Cuckoo were at Berrow today, whilst migrant moth included single Rush Veneer and Silver Y.

3rd June: Pretty desperate again today with nothing worthy of mention.

2nd June: Again, no one was able to make it into the field today.

1st June: No news today.

May:

31st May: The only news concerns the 10 Common Scoter that were still settled off Berrow.

Young Long Eared Owl. 31st May 2010. ©J.Packer. www.somersetbirder.co.uk

30th May: Long Eared Owl have again bred successfully in the area.

29th May: Onshore winds helped produce 40 Manx Shearwater, 1 Fulmar, 1 Bonxie and 10 Common Scoter settled on the sea at Berrow. Waders were represented by only 3 Dunlin and a single Sanderling.

28th May: 2 Red Kite flew east late morning at Berrow whilst high tide held Just 11 Whimbrel.

27th May: The recent surge of waders appears to be over at Berrow. Only 12 Ringed Plover, 60 Sanderling and 1 Dunlin were present over this mornings tide.

26th May: Highlights at Berrow were a Red Kite that flew north east and a calling Greenshank overhead, The beach held 260 Ringed Plover, 1 Turnstone and around 100 each of Sanderling and Dunlin and 11 Black Headed Gull. A pair of Stonechat had fledged 4 young. The first Silver Y of the year was also recorded.

25th May: Wader numbers were down today, but that may just be a reflection of the state of the lower tide when visiting. There were 78 Oystercatcher, 3 Whimbrel, 67 Ringed Plover, 180 Sanderling and 27 Dunlin. A Cuckoo was calling at Berrow in the evening.

24th May: Even greater numbers of waders at Berrow this afternoon with 7 Whimbrel, 44 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 400 Ringed Plover, 3 Turnstone, 198 Sanderling and 242 Dunlin. Also present early morning were 6 Mute Swan sat way out on the mud.

23rd May: This afternoons rising tide at Berrow produced an exceptionally high (particularly considering the date) count of 343 Ringed Plover together with a very unseasonal 8 Turnstone. Also present were 15 Whimbrel, 40 Oystercatcher, 150 Sanderling and 150 Dunlin.

22nd May: No bird news today, but we have received news of visiting mothers catching a Pinion-spotted Pug at Berrow dunes. This constitutes the second record for Somerset.

21st May: No news today.

20th May: Berrow beach held 184 Sanderling, 5 Whimbrel and 3 Knot whilst there were 2 Wheatear on the Golf course. Other news comes from a look around Brean this afternoon that produced singles of Wheatear, Garden Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat together with a trickle of hirundines.

19th May: A cloudy but surprising warm day today. On Brean Down there was a Spotted Flycatcher, 7 Blackcap, 35 Whitethroat (including a very odd songster), 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 2 Sedge Warbler, 1 Reed Warbler, 7 Chiffchaff, 13 Willow Warbler (including a very grey/white bird with a weird song), 5 Raven, 75 House Martin, 27 Swallow, 3 Swift flew west. Stonechat were feeding recently fledged youngsters. A single Siskin flew south over Burnham.

18th May: High tide at Berrow on what seems to be the warmest day of the year held 72 Sanderling, 12 Ringed Plover, 23 Dunlin, 3 Whimbrel and 73 Oystercatcher.  Another new for the patch "longhorn" moth was discovered on the dunes at Berrow today, Adela reamurrella, where there was 10 individuals on a small bush.

summer plumaged Sanderling, Adela reamurrella, Berrow, 18th May 2010. © A. Slade.

17th May: No news of anything today.

16th May: A cool damp day. Very little at Berrow with 8 Whimbrel, 8 Ringed Plover, 6 Sanderling and 10 Dunlin.

15th May: 3 Spotted Flycatcher at Berrow were the early highlight where there was also a Garden Warbler. Just a handful of waders hanging on at the Brue estuary with 21 Whimbrel, 2 Redshank, 1 Turnstone and 3 Dunlin. 1 Yellow Wagtail flew over there. Swallow were moving in good numbers all day. An Azure Damselfly was on the wing at Berrow.

14th May: A poor day with just 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 9 Knot and 14 Ringed Plover on Berrow beach.

13th May: Early morning mist over the sea at Berrow helped produce 20 Gannet. Also there were 5 Black Headed Gull, 13 Whimbrel, 3 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Knot, 140 Sanderling, 2 Turnstone, 16 Ringed Plover and 40 Dunlin. A Yellow Wagtail flew over Burnham, whilst Apex held the long staying Shoveler and a pair of Tufted Duck. On the moth front we recorded our first record of Adela Rufimitrella

12th May: More of the same at Berrow today with 66 Oystercatcher, 37 Whimbrel, 8 Bar Tailed Godwit, 35 Knot, 30 Sanderling and 10 Dunlin.

11th May: Good numbers of waders again at Berrow with 76 Oystercatcher, 25 Whimbrel, 16 Bar Tailed Godwit, 5 Ringed Plover, 88 Sanderling and 128 Dunlin. The Brean area held 3 Wheatear, 1 Yellow Wagtail and 16 Whitethroat.

10th May: Berrow held 2 Common Tern and unusually for this time of year 5 Common Gull and 4 Black Headed Gull. Waders remain conspicuous with 96 Oystercatcher, 66 Whimbrel, 15 Bar Tailed Godwit, 25 Knot, 2 Ringed Plover, 6 Sanderling and 8 Dunlin. Slightly north along the beach Brean held 10 Sanderling. 2 Cuckoo were patrolling the reed bed area at Berrow whilst Swallow were arriving in small but steady numbers

9th May: Waders at Berrow again dominate the bulk of the news with 112 Oystercatcher, 55 Whimbrel, 8 Bar Tailed Godwit, 10 Knot, 30 Sanderling and 15 Dunlin. A Cuckoo was also at Berrow. Swift were more conspicuous today with a steady northerly flow.

8th May: Waders at Berrow included 100 Oystercatcher, 53 Whimbrel, 9 Bar Tailed Godwit, 1 Grey Plover, 15 Ringed Plover, 28 Sanderling and 21 Dunlin. Migrants were represented by 2 White Wagtail and a Wheatear.

7th May: A few more waders on Berrow beach that included 102 Oystercatcher, 4 Curlew, 40 Whimbrel, 10 Bar Tailed Godwit, 8 Knot, 4 Ringed Plover and 20 Dunlin.

6th May: Wader numbers are pretty static at Berrow at the moment with 90 Oystercatcher, 44 Whimbrel, 13 Bar Tailed Godwit and a Sanderling. Brean Down was very quiet with just singles of Wheatear and Garden Warbler.

5th May: No reports were received today.

4th May: Berrow picked up a little with 40 Whimbrel and 20 Bar Tailed Godwit. Either the same or another Common Sandpiper was on the reservoir, whilst migrants were represented by 2 Cuckoo and Grasshopper Warbler.

3rd May: Just 17 Whimbrel and a Greenland Wheatear to report from Berrow. Late in the evening a Tawny Pipit was found at Weston sewage works and is reported to have briefly crossed the river axe and landed on the patch.

2nd May: The only news today concerns a dark phase Arctic Skua moving up channel off Burnham seafront this morning.

1st May: Still very quiet. A Cuckoo at Berrow was the highlight. Otherwise, just the usual small selection of waders at Berrow that included 38 Whimbrel, 20 Sanderling and 2 Dunlin.

April:

30th April: A bit of a surprise today as the newly formed golf course reservoir pulled in single Little Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. The beach held 38 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Ringed Plover and 22 Dunlin.

29th April: The quiet period continues. Just a few waders at Berrow that included 29 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 2 Turnstone and 90 Sanderling.

28th April: The Brue estuary / Apex area held 14 Bar Tailed Godwit, 11 Redshank and the long staying Shoveler. Holly Blue was on the wing at Berrow

27th April: Quiet today with Berrow producing 56 Whimbrel, 1 Grey Plover, 50 Sanderling, 2 Ringed Plover and a single Dunlin. Migrants were restricted to 2 Wheatear and a Yellow Wagtail over.

26th April: Early morning at Berrow produced 2 pale phase Pomarine Skua and 3 Arctic Skua. Also present were 46 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit and 180 Sanderling. A Large Red Damselfly was also on the wing.

25th April: Misty conditions at Berrow helped produce 26 Gannet and at least 220 Commic Tern offshore. Also there were 12 Bar Tailed Godwit and 5 Grasshopper Warbler. Brean Down produced some interesting birds with 7 Gannet, 1 Great Crested Grebe, 5 Tree Pipit, 6 Yellow Wagtail, 9 Grasshopper Warbler a Wood Warbler and a Yellowhammer. Lots of Hirundines were on the move at both sites. A late afternoon look at Berrow produced an extra 9 Gannet, 1 Arctic Skua, a Sandwich Tern 3 Commic Tern and 111 Dunlin.

24th April: All the news comes from Brean Down where there was 1 Fulmar offshore and a small fall of migrants that included 4 Wheatear, 4 Redstart, 2 Pied Flycatcher, 40 Blackcap, 3 Tree Pipit, 3 Yellow Wagtail, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 3 Sedge Warbler, 40 Willow Warbler and 2 Redpoll.

23rd April: Quiet again today with Brean Down hosting 2 Redstart, 2 Yellow Wagtail, 2 Tree Pipit, 3 Grasshopper Warbler and a Wheatear. Berrow could only muster a Wheatear, 3 House Martin, 1 Swift and 10 Willow Warbler.

22nd April: Brean Down delivered the first Cuckoo of the year together with 3 Tree Pipit, 4 Grasshopper Warbler, 5 Wheatear and 2 Redpoll. The reappearance of the male Marsh Harrier was somewhat of a surprise at Berrow, where there were also 52 Whimbrel and a White Wagtail.

21st April: A quieter day. Single Swift over Apex and Berrow were the first for the year. A male Black Redstart was in song on Brean Down where there were also 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Tree Pipit, 4 Wheatear, 2 Siskin and a Redpoll. The female Pied Flycatcher was still at Apex. Berrow beach held 58 Whimbrel and 2 Ringed Plover.

20th April: Still a good scattering of migrants. 3 Pied Flycatcher included the bird at Berrow LNR plus singles on Brean Down and at Apex lakes. Other migrants on Brean included singles of  Ring Ouzel, and Redstart, 2 Tree Pipit, 4 Wheatear, 1 White Wagtail, good numbers of Hirundines,  4 Grasshopper Warbler and 30 Willow Warbler. A Marsh Harrier was over Berrow reedbed early morning before leaving high to the north east. At the Parrett / Brue estuary there were 4 Gannet, 5 Teal, 11 Whimbrel, 69 Oystercatcher and 84 Redshank. The Axe estuary held 2 Teal and 34 Redshank.

Marsh Harrier (honest!).  Berrow.  20th April 2010.  P.Gay
 

19th April: The continued misty conditions over the sea helped produce 2 Arctic Skua, 21 Gannet and a Fulmar. Waders at Berrow were represented by 35 Oystercatcher, 12 Curlew, 21 Whimbrel, 3 Bar Tailed Godwit, 30 Dunlin and singles of Sanderling and Ringed Plover. Migrants at Brean Down included 3 Wheatear, 4 Tree Pipit, 40 Swallow, 20 House Martin, 10 Sand Martin, 5 Redpoll (some of these birds appear to be Common Redpoll) 1 Sedge Warbler and 6 Grasshopper Warbler. The male Pied Flycatcher was still at Berrow LNR together with 2 Grasshopper Warbler.

18th April: Misty conditions off Burnham and Berrow helped produce 12 Gannet, 8 Common Scoter and a Commic Tern. Berrow also produced 13 Whimbrel, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 19 Ringed Plover, 11 Dunlin, 2 Sanderling a House Martin and a Grasshopper Warbler. A Black Tailed Godwit was in the Parrett estuary and nearby the Red Crested Pochard was still at Apex. A Red Kite was over Brean Down late morning. Other birds there included 1 Common Sandpiper, 11 Wheatear, 3 Redstart, 2 Tree Pipit, 1 Yellow Wagtail, 5 Whitethroat, 3 Sedge Warbler, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 40 Willow Warbler and 5 Redpoll.

17th April: Highlight was a Green Sandpiper on Berrow golf course pond. Otherwise, fairly routine with 10 Whimbrel, 18 Ringed Plover, 3 Dunlin and 3 Lesser Whitethroat at Berrow, 2 Redpoll and a Siskin over Burnham and 30 Willow Warbler, 5 Redpoll, 3 Whitethroat, 2 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Wheatear and singles of Redstart and Black Redstart at Brean Down..

16th April: Sanderling numbered 170 at Berrow where there was also 11 Whimbrel, 20 Ringed Plover and 5 Dunlin. The sickly Fieldfare was also still present together with single Wheatear and Whitethroat. Swallow were moving north in better numbers. Overhead movement at Brean Down included 4 Tree Pipit, 43 Meadow Pipit, 37 Swallow, 9 Redpoll and a Siskin, whilst 4 Wheatear were grounded.

15th April: A pair of Tufted Duck flew south at Berrow this morning, where waders were represented by 5 Curlew, a Whimbrel 56 Ringed Plover and 13 Dunlin. Migrants increased a little with singles of Lesser Whitethroat and a Yellow Wagtail over. Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler are back on territory, but only in extremely low numbers. A few Swallow were heading north. A Grey Seal (presumably the individual from last year) was offshore. Late afternoon a male Pied Flycatcher was at Berrow LNR together with a Whitethroat and good numbers of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff.

14th April: Still pretty quiet. 200 Redshank and 23 Turnstone were on the Brue estuary. The long staying Shoveler was still on Apex together with a very tame Greylag Goose. The evening high tide at Berrow produced 102 Oystercatcher, 35 Ringed Plover and 10 Dunlin whilst a few small parties of Swallow headed north.

13th April: A Spotted Redshank was on the river axe near Brean cross sluice together with 15 Redshank. Otherwise, it was pitiful with no migrants of note and a high tide visit to Berrow producing zero waders!!. New butterflies on the wing at Berrow included Speckled Wood and Green-veined White.

12th April: Brean Down was a dead loss with just a single Whitethroat being worthy of mention. Berrow was also devoid of anything noteworthy.

11th April: 2 Whimbrel at Berrow were new for the year, where there were also 90 Oystercatcher and 4 Bar Tailed Godwit. Brean Down was much quieter today with 5 Redpoll a Tree Pipit and a Yellow Wagtail over. On the adjacent Axe Estuary there were 30 Redshank, 2 Wigeon and 14 Teal.

10th April: An upturn in migrant numbers today with Brean Down producing singles of Pied Flycatcher and Redstart together with 2 Grasshopper Warbler, 2 Whitethroat, 1 Black Redstart, and 1 Wheatear  with 1 Tree Pipit, 5 Redpoll and a Siskin over. Berrow also showed an improvement with singles of Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler and Tree Pipit together with 3 Sedge Warbler. A Lesser Whitethroat was at Apex.

9th April: We received a convincing report of 2 White Stork circling over Burnham late morning but subsequent searching drew a blank. We later found out that 2 White Stork had been watched in fields about 15 miles away before leaving to the west at 10am. Otherwise pretty quiet. New butterflies on the wing included Large White and Brimstone.

8th April: Apex produced the first Reed Warbler and Sedge Warbler of the year together with 30 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap and 15 Sand Martin. Brean Down area and the Axe estuary produced 3 Wigeon, 40 Teal, 50 Redshank, 2 Snipe, 5 Wheatear, 1 White Wagtail, 2 Tree Pipit, 15 Chiffchaff, 5 Willow Warbler and 2 Blackcap.  Berrow were extremely quiet with just a handful of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff and 4 Blackcap. The warmer weather brought out a few more butterflies with 10 Small Tortoiseshell, 6 Peacock and 4 Comma at Berrow this afternoon.

7th April: The Fieldfare was still at Berrow today.

6th April: With no one in the field today the only snippet of news concerns a Mistle Thrush at Berrow.

5th April: The Brue estuary and Apex produced totals of 211 Redshank, the long staying drake Shoveler, 15 Swallow, 3 Willow Warbler and a Chiffchaff. Berrow remains quiet with 8 Swallow, 1 Sand Martin and a Willow Warbler.

4th April: Apart from the odd Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff no real news today.

3rd April: A Tree Pipit was at Brean Down this morning. Quieter at Apex / Brue today with 200 Redshank, 25 Turnstone, 35 Dunlin, 40 Swallow, 3 Sand Martin, 15 Willow Warbler and 5 Chiffchaff. 

2nd April: Most news came from the Brue estuary / Apex area where the highlight was a lingering Sandwich Tern. Also there were the long staying Red Crested Pochard and Shoveler. A decent count of 8 Great Crested Grebe was made at Apex. 47 Redshank were on the Brue, whilst migrants were represented by 35 Willow Warbler, 25 Chiffchaff, 27 Swallow and 12 Sand Martin. 3 Buzzard flew north with another north at Berrow. Also at Berrow the Fieldfare was still in residence. This bird is very approachable and probably sick. Berrow also hosted around 10 each of Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. 40 Curlew were on the beach there

1st April: Last years male Little Grebe had returned to Berrow Golf course pond. Otherwise very quiet with just singles of Swallow and Willow Warbler.

March:

31st March: A blasting west/north west wind over this mornings high tide at Burnham produced 1 Fulmar, 2 Great Skua and a Sandwich Tern.

30th March: A Marsh Harrier that flew south at Berrow was the highlight. A few more migrants at Berrow today with 10 Willow Warbler, 5 Chiffchaff and a White Wagtail. 2 Sand Martin and a Swallow flew through. A steady trickle of Meadow Pipit were moving south. Waders were represented by 2 Curlew and 60 Oystercatcher.

29th March: The Brue estuary held 136 Redshank and 6 Turnstone whilst migrants at Apex were represented by 8 Willow Warbler and 6 Chiffchaff. A late Fieldfare was at Berrow where there were also 6 Chiffchaff and a single Swallow moved through.

28th March: Willow Warbler numbers had risen to 10 at Apex where there was also 15 Chiffchaff, 2 Blackcap and a Siskin. Berrow was again the poor relation with just 3 Chiffchaff and 42 Curlew.

27th March: The first 4 Willow Warbler of the year were present at Apex. A trickle of migrants at Brean Down included 3 Wheatear, 2 Swallow, 1 Sand Martin, 3 Chiffchaff and 2 Blackcap. Nearby, 3 Tufted Duck were on the river Axe. 5 Chiffchaff was all that could be mustered at Berrow.

26th March: Pretty dire today with just single Chiffchaff at Apex and Berrow and 40 Oystercatcher on Berrow beach.

25th March: Chiffchaff numbers at Berrow reached 12, but otherwise just 8 Sand Martin and 25 each of Curlew and Oystercatcher.

24th March: Just a trickle of migrants from various points that gave totals of 3 Wheatear, 3 Swallow, 10 Sand Martin and 4 Chiffchaff.

23rd March: Very quiet with just singles of Swallow and Chiffchaff at Berrow. 75 Oystercatcher were on the beach at Brean.

22nd March: Migrants continue to trickle through with the first Swallow of the year at Apex lakes. Other migrants there included 16 Sand Martin and 4 Chiffchaff, whilst 1 White Wagtail was at Berrow. A good count of 343 Redshank was made at the Brue estuary.

21st March: Most of the interest centered on the Brue estuary and Apex lakes where there were 3 Mediterranean Gull (A 1st winter & 2 2nd winter), 80 Redshank, 25 Turnstone, 30 Dunlin, 9 Wigeon and 12 Teal. Migrants included 5 Sand Martin and 6 Chiffchaff.  150 Sanderling on Berrow beach was the highest count for many months. A single Fieldfare was also still present there. The first Small White of the year was on the wing in Burnham.

20th March: Singles of Bar Tailed Godwit and Knot at Berrow perhaps give hope that waders are beginning to move. Also there were 53 Oystercatcher, and 14 Sanderling.

19th March: Waders on the Brue estuary included 67 Oystercatcher, 60 Curlew, 237 Redshank, 74 Turnstone and 500 Dunlin. Shelduck numbers are slowly increasing with 54 present. On the adjacent Apex lakes the Red Crested Pochard remains and there was a single Chiffchaff. The only other news concerns a Siskin south over Burnham.

18th March: The Brean area produced 2 White Wagtail and singles of Wheatear and Chiffchaff. Burnham also held a White Wagtail and 2 Chiffchaff. Blackcap have been quite scarce this winter so a count of 26 in a small area at Burnham is noteworthy.  At Berrow there was a summer plumaged Mediterranean Gull, 8 Oystercatcher and 4 Curlew.

17th March: Highlights included 2 adult Little Gull flying south down the Parrett estuary and a Water Pipit just south of the Brue estuary. Waders on the Brue /  Parrett included 95 Oystercatcher, 226 Redshank and 1,000 Dunlin. There were 34 Wigeon in the river and a drake Shoveler on Apex lakes, where the Red Crested Pochard remains in residence. High tide at Berrow failed to produce a single wader.

8th - 16th March: Apologies for the lack of news, but we've been updating PC's etc. Needless to say there has been virtually no news except Small Tortoiseshell butterflies have been noted on the wing since 14th.

7th March: The Hen Harrier was still present, whilst 4 Greylag Goose were flying around the Parrett estuary.

6th March: Highlight of the day was a ringtail Hen Harrier that was hunting the Steart shoreline. The Parrett estuary held 20 Shoveler together with good numbers of Wigeon and Teal. There were 4 Shoveler on the Axe estuary, together with single Great Crested Grebe on the river axe and Warren farm.

5th March: No news today.

4th March: A similar selection of birds at the Brue / Parrett estuaries as yesterday with the addition of 6 Greylag Goose that settled briefly on Stert island before quickly moving on and 40 Knot.  Berrow held 5 Curlew, 1 Ringed Plover, 22 Sanderling and around 1,000 Dunlin. There is currently a flock of around 50 Linnet around the beach and dune area..  A Barn Owl was seen at Red road in the evening. It appears that Cetti's Warbler have taken a severe hit at Berrow this winter in the cold weather. Only one bird has been heard in recent weeks at a time when we would expect numbers to be in double figures.

3rd March: Wildfowl at the Brue estuary and Apex were represented by 3 Pochard, 13 Teal, 100+ Wigeon and 38 Shelduck whilst there were 2 Brent Goose at the Axe estuary. Waders at the Brue / Parrett estuary included 100 Oystercatcher, 130 Curlew, 120 Redshank, 83 Turnstone, 30 Grey Plover and c.15,000 Dunlin. A Siskin visited a Berrow garden.

2nd March: High tide over the Parrett / Brue estuary produced 40 Shelduck, 130 Wigeon, 8 Teal, 400 Curlew, 59 Oystercatcher, 6 Turnstone, 160 Redshank and an estimated 15,000 Dunlin. 2 drake Pochard remained on Apex lakes and yesterdays Barnacle Goose was still on the Axe estuary.

1st March: A little more interest today with an unringed Barnacle Goose on the mudflats at the Axe estuary where there were also singles of Ruff and Knot together with 70 Curlew, 300+ Redshank, 34 Golden Plover, 20 Lapwing and a handful of Dunlin. Teal numbered around 80.

February

28th February: The whole month has been extremely quiet and today was no exception with the Brue estuary producing modest totals of 42 Wigeon, 14 Teal, 13 Oystercatcher, 145 Redshank and 300 Dunlin. Only 2 Pochard and the Red Crested Pochard could be found on the adjacent Apex lakes.

27th February: Apex produced 5 Pochard, a drake Shoveler and the usual Red Crested Pochard.

26th February: No one was able to make it into the field today, which was a shame as it appears good numbers of common seabird were displaced into the channel by strong westerlies.

25th February: A small increase in Lesser Blackbacked Gull numbers to 10 at Berrow perhaps hints at some movement. Common Gull numbered 50, whereas waders were represented by 24 Curlew, 30 Oystercatcher, 8 Lapwing, 4 Sanderling and around 1,000 Dunlin.

24th February: Low tide at Berrow could only muster 20 Curlew and 1,500 Dunlin.

23rd February: Just the Red Crested Pochard and drake Pochard to report at Apex.

22nd February: Another morning ruined by rain meant no reports again today.

21st February: Still very quiet with the Axe estuary producing 15 Teal, 30 Golden Plover,  2 Sanderling and 900 Dunlin. Berrow held 33 Oystercatcher, 6 Sanderling and 350 Dunlin.

20th February: The Red Crested Pochard and Pochard remain at Apex lakes

19th February: Very quiet over high tide at Berrow with just 1 Curlew, 30 Oystercatcher and 150 Dunlin.

18th February: An even worse day of weather ensured no one ventured out.

17th February: A morning washout means no news today.

16th February: The only report concerns 100 Dunlin at Berrow.

15th February: There was a drake Shoveler on Apex lakes where the Red Crested Pochard and Pochard remain in residence. The Brue / Parrett estuary area held 36 Oystercatcher, 87 Redshank, c6,000 Dunlin and small numbers of Wigeon and Teal.

14th February: The highlight was a Red Kite circling over the Brue estuary in the afternoon. Berrow produced 67 Oystercatcher, 2 Curlew, 3 Sanderling and 1300 Dunlin.

13th February: A falling tide at Berrow could only produce 36 Curlew, 6 Oystercatcher, 2 Sanderling and 900 Dunlin. Elsewhere in the Berrow area were 2 Raven, 200+ Lapwing and a decent count of 50+ Chaffinch.

12th February: Fieldfare still number in the low to mid hundreds around Berrow where they can often be seen commuting between the coast and inland fields. The Pochard and Red Crested Pochard remain at Apex.

11th February: Another cold raw day with no news.

10th February: No news today.

9th February: Nothing to report other than the continued presence of single Pochard and Red Crested Pochard at Apex.

8th February: Very thin pickings again today. Low tide at Berrow beach produced just 25 Curlew. Yesterdays Brambling was still visiting a Berrow garden feeder.

7th February: The only news concerns a Brambling visiting a Berrow bird feeder.

6th February: Just the smallest of improvements at Berrow with the first 12 Ringed Plover of the year there. Sanderling numbers were up to 50 whilst standard fare included 15 Curlew and 100 Dunlin

5th February: The Brue and Parrett estuaries produced 2,000+ Wigeon, 100+ Teal, 70 Curlew, 75 Oystercatcher, 15 Bar Tailed Godwit, 5 Avocet, 83 Redshank, 92 Turnstone, 1,200 Lapwing and c6,000 Dunlin. Apex held the usual 2 Pochard and Red Crested Pochard and also for the first time this year 3 Great Crested Grebe.

4th February: Pretty poor reward at Berrow again with 50 Curlew, 12 Oystercatcher, 200 Dunlin, 10 Sanderling and 28 Linnet.

3rd February: A day of near constant rain. The only news concerns a report of a Marsh Harrier being chased by gulls as it headed north over Burnham.

2nd February: Since the onset of the cold weather there have been no sightings of Great Crested Grebe at Apex, so it was nice to confirm a pair still in residence nearby on the small lake at Morlands estate. The  2 Pochard and Red Crested Pochard remain in residence at Apex.

1st February: Low tide at the Axe estuary produced 250 Teal, 3 Wigeon, 80 Curlew and c100 Redshank. Fieldfare totalled around 500 at Berrow church this morning. The only other snippet of news concerns a Mistle Thrush on Red road playing fields.

January

31st January: The Green Winged Teal was still on the Axe estuary. Other sightings in the near vicinity included a Merlin, 600+ Lapwing, a handful of Golden Plover and 1 Jack Snipe. Birding at Berrow continues to produce little reward with waders represented by 2 Curlew, 12 Oystercatcher, singles of Sanderling and Redshank and 800+ Dunlin. The Red Crested Pochard remains at Apex together with 2 Pochard.

30th January: The Green-winged Teal was back on the Axe Estuary this morning in company with 120 Teal. Also there were 3 Ringed Plover and a Common Sandpiper. 2 Jack Snipe were flushed from the adjacent saltmarsh. The rather friendly Red Crested Pochard remains in residence at Apex lakes where there were also 2 Pochard.

29th January: No news today.

28th January: No news today.

27th January: No news today.

26th January: No news today.

25th January: No news today.

24th January: The Red-crested Pochard remains at Apex, and a drake Gadwall and a Shoveler on the Brue Estuary was all that could be mustered.

 23rd January: Not particularly exciting news today. Numbers on the Axe Estuary included 450 Teal, 1 Black-tailed Godwit, 2 Wigeon and 500 Dunlin. At Berrow there were 2000 Dunlin, 34 Curlew, 14 Oystercatcher and 25 Sanderling.

22nd January: Very wet, becoming foggy and wet with a brief dry spell before more rain. It eventually stopped raining in the afternoon but remained dull. So did the birds. Red-crested Pochard still taking bread at Apex, but no other news to get excited about.

21st January: A few interesting duck at the Brue estuary with a pair of Shoveler, a drake Gadwall and 2 drake Tufted Duck along with 48 Wigeon and 25 Teal. Waders were represented by c3,000 Dunlin over Stert Island, 45 Oystercatcher on the Parrett estuary, 54 Redshank and 4 Turnstone in the Brue estuary

20th January: A dismal day of constant rain. The only snippet of news concerns the continued presence of the Red Crested Pochard at Apex, together with a Little Grebe and a Pochard.

19th January: The 2 Avocets were still on the Axe estuary, together with a sprinkling of Redshank and Dunlin. Only 150 Teal and 6 Wigeon could be found. Berrow held 25 Sanderling, 33 Oystercatcher and 29 Curlew. The Red Crested Pochard was still at Apex.

18th January: All the news comes from the Axe estuary where the Green Winged Teal remained with 526 Teal. The 2 Avocets were also still present but not surprisingly the Smew appears to have moved on. Other waders there included 53 Oystercatcher, 86 Curlew, 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 90+ Redshank, 1,000+ Lapwing, 2 Sanderling and 300 Dunlin.

17th January: All the action was at the Axe estuary today with the discovery of a drake Green Winged Teal and a redhead Smew amongst at least 1,000 Teal. 2 Avocet were also on show in the estuary mouth. Other birds there included 200 Wigeon, 200 Redshank, 85 Curlew, 40 Snipe, 2 Jack Snipe, in excess of 1,000 Lapwing and 3 Golden Plover. An Otter was watched swimming across the river Axe at Brean sluice. Berrow produced 20 Curlew, 33 Oystercatcher, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 29 Sanderling, 5,000 Dunlin, 600 Fieldfare and 2 Coal Tit.

16th January: A few interesting birds today particularly at Brean / Axe area which produced singles of Avocet, (possibly 2)  Water Pipit and a drake Goosander. The Red Crested Pochard remained at Apex together with the Pochard and Tufted Duck. A pair of Gadwall were on the adjacent Brue estuary.

15th January: At Berrow there were 15 Oystercatcher, 3 Redshank, 24 Knot, 7 Sanderling and 2,500 Dunlin. Fieldfare numbers are still high with well in excess of 1,000 present. Brean / Axe produced 1 Black Tailed Godwit and 15 Golden Plover. A number of presumed Winter Moth were on the wing along Red road.

14th January: The Great Bustard (wing tag 22) showed well again this afternoon in fields adjacent to the Axe estuary. Also there were 20 Golden Plover and 9 Snipe. The Red Crested Pochard, Tufted Duck and Pochard remained at Apex. Nearby 2 Grey Plover were on Burnham beach.

13th January: The Great Bustard was relocated this afternoon associating with Mute Swans on the fields by the Axe estuary behind Warren farm. A late afternoon visit to Apex lakes produced the surprise of the day in the form of a drake Red Crested Pochard. Also present were single drake Pochard and Tufted Duck. Elsewhere, the bushes and fields still hold good numbers of winter Thrushes and Lapwings. Skylark were also more conspicuous than usual. Also noted were 60 Curlew. From Brean sluice 300 Wigeon were on view together with 3 Shoveler.

12th January: Quiet today. The Axe estuary produced 300 Wigeon  a Spotted Redshank and 2 Black Tailed Godwit, whilst at Berrow only very small numbers of the commonest waders could be seen over low tide.

11th January: A wing tagged Great Bustard was watched flying over fields by Diamond farm, before settling on the Weston side of the Axe estuary. At Berrow today there was 1 female Tufted Duck, 19 Curlew, 37 Oystercatcher, 2 Bar Tailed Godwit, 19 Redshank, 5 Sanderling and 1,000 Dunlin.

10th January: A thorough count of the thrushes in the dume system from Burnham to Berrow LNR revealed 3,500 Fieldfare, 2,300 Redwing, 500 Song Thrush and 200 Blackbird. Other sightings at Berrow included 17 Curlew, 38 Oystercatcher, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 15 Redshank, 5 Sanderling, 1,000+ Dunlin, 2 Snipe and a Mistle Thrush. On the Axe estuary there were 300 Wigeon, 2 Black Tailed Godwit and 2,600 Dunlin.

9th January: Large numbers of thrushes are inhabiting the entire dune buckthorn strip with well in excess of 1,000 Fieldfare and slightly fewer Redwing. At Berrow LNR the highlight was a male Merlin with a supporting cast including Water Rail, Buzzard, Snipe, 25 Linnet, good numbers of Chaffinch and a Goldcrest. 200+ Lapwing flew south. A Woodcock was flushed from the Brean area. The cold weather has seen an increase in Reed Bunting numbers visiting a Berrow garden with a maximum of 23. A local wildlife group visited Berrow this morning and reported 40 Wigeon, 3 Tufted Duck, 1 Bar Tailed Godwit, 8 Sanderling, 1 Mistle Thrush, 50 Skylark and a Woodlark. Late news concerns 2 Goldeneye flying north up the Parrett to the mouth of the Brue estuary, where a Tufted Duck was also present.

8th January: Fieldfare outnumbered Redwing today at Berrow with up to 600 present. Lapwing were on the move again with over 300 south. Berrow beach held 10 Curlew and 600 Dunlin. 2 Mistle Thrush in Burnham are noteworthy.

7th January: Movement had diminished to just 20 Skylark and 30 Lapwing. Large numbers of Redwing were present at Berrow with in excess of 500.

6th January: The area saw its heaviest snowfall for nearly 30 years overnight and this morning. The resultant cold weather movement included 2,500 Lapwing, 100+ Golden Plover, 3 Snipe, 370 Skylark, 350 Woodpigeon, 100 Redwing and a few Meadow Pipit. Elsewhere there was a Woodcock at a Brean caravan park, 30 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe,  600 Lapwing and 60 Skylark around the Axe/Brean farm area. Brean beach held 1,000 Dunlin, 60 Oystercatcher and 40 Sanderling. At Berrow beach there were c.2,000 Dunlin, 2 Curlew, 1 Turnstone and 5 Redshank. The only other reports concern a Gadwall on the Axe estuary and 2 Kingfisher in Burnham.

5th January: A few more birds included 70 Curlew on the Brue estuary with 30 at Berrow. 94 Oystercatcher were on Stert island whilst a single Bar Tailed Godwit was on the Axe estuary. Only small numbers of Redshank could be found on the Brue, whilst 5 Sanderling were at Berrow. An adult Mediterranean Gull was also on Berrow beach. Around Brean farm there were 550 Lapwing, 20 Golden Plover and 15 Snipe.

4th January: Little to report other than 15 Curlew at Berrow, 76 Oystercatcher at the Parrett estuary and a single Siskin at Apex. Disappointingly, no wildfowl appear to have been displaced from the local reservoirs by the cold weather.

3rd January: Berrow beach remains extremely quiet with just 33 Oystercatcher, 190 Dunlin and 1 Turnstone over high tide. The recent cold weather has seen an increase in Thrush numbers with combined counts from Berrow LNR and Ford common of 450 Fieldfare, 250 Redwing, 65 Blackbird and 30 Song Thrush. The LNR also held 13 Blackcap. The fields around Ford common held 300+ Lapwing, 80 Golden Plover and 6 Stock Dove. At least 1 Black Redstart remains at Brean cove.

2nd January: At the Brue estuary there were 134 Snipe, 1 Jack Snipe and a Spotted Redshank. Berrow beach hosted 32 Curlew, 74 Oystercatcher, 13 Sanderling and 200 Dunlin. The 2 Black Redstart were still at Brean cove.

1st January: A very quiet start to the year. 2 Black Redstart remain at Brean down cove, where there were also 25 Sanderling on the beach. Berrow produced 1 Redshank, 16 Oystercatcher, 22 Sanderling, 200 Dunlin and 2 Raven.